After my bloodlust incident with a number of the Laconia family, Halvine had our match canceled and explained that our grievances were settled, even though I was looking forward to my battle against Halvine to truly see how strong she was, but I sigh while walking back to the Lionheart mansion.
"oh well, it won't be my only chance to show my combat skills."
I ask myself.
"I wonder what would have happened if I didn't use bloodlust?"
I answer myself.
"I probably would have gotten my ass kicked."
I arrive back at the Lionheart mansion, where all of them seem prepared for the fight between me and Halvine, Octavius asks.
"how are you feeling on such a big and important day?"
I stammer to them.
"there has been a change of plans."
Price takes notice and asks.
"what happened?"
I answer.
"I was confronted by Halvine and everyone in the Laconia family and it ended with her canceling the duel."
while they all laugh, Octavius come up to me and places his hand my shoulder.
"it's okay to admit that you backed out of the fight,
there is no shame in that."
I think to myself.
"I don't think the Laconia would reveal what happened since it would embarrass, so I should use this to advantage as to not expose my bloodlust to many people."
I scratch my head pretending to be embarrassed.
"yeah, and she was surprisingly understanding."
Price gives me a reassuring look.
"alright enough wallowing about it, we'll just train harder together and have you ready for the tournament before the midyear."
he sighs and hands over a sealed envelope.
"anyways, you got mail from your mother it seems."
I grab it and think to myself while opening it.
"I'm barely gone for a couple of days and she already sent me a letter."
Price asks.
"are you going to stand there and read it?"
I reply, making my way to my room.
"nope, my mother can say some pretty embarrassing things and I don't want you all to see my reactions to what she wrote."
after arriving in my bedroom, I lay down to get comfortable and begin to read.
"dear Darius, how has academy life treated you these last couple days?"
I respond in my mind.
"couple days? did she write this on my first day here?"
I continue reading.
"I really hope things at the academy is like how you imagined it would be."
I sigh.
"was kind of hoping to take combat classes, but I have to wait until I'm a third year."
I resume reading.
"now you may be wondering why I'm writing you so soon, and I hope what you read will not make you hate me."
I pause.
"your benefactor Elaine Laconia and her husband came to visit me, and we had a very extended conversation about your future."
I shake my head.
"I don't like where this is going."
I read.
"we came to the conclusion that it will beneficial if you are to be engaged to Halvine Laconia."
I stop reading and overwhelming feeling of dread washes over me.
"oh dear gods, mom what have you done?"
I continue.
"please try to get along with your future wife, and please don't hate your mother, I'm only looking out for your future, sincerely your beautiful, wonderful, and intelligent mother."
I grumble.
"don't praise yourself mom."
I groan to myself and then notice there is still a sentence left.
"P.S Halvine has both hers and your engagement rings, go and fetch yours from her."
I shake my head and complain about Elaine.
"this lady is crafty, she paid for whole tuition and went to my mom so that I would get engaged to Halvine."
I smirk a little to myself.
"she is clever just like Mistress Isabelle, I've got to be weary of her from here on out."
I neatly roll up the letter my mother wrote and sit on the side of my bed.
"alright, it seems like Halvine is aware of our engagement since she is already in possession of
the rings."
I sigh and calm my mind.
"relax, remember that Mistress Isabelle was going to arrange a marriage for you, to strengthen the bond between the demon folk and their Lord."
I think about what my mom did for me.
"she saw an opportunity that would give us a better life and took it, so I don't blame her for doing so."
I stand up and say in my mind.
"well there is no point in of putting off this little situation I've been placed in, I should just get this put of the and see how things play out."
I look myself in the mirror and to make sure I don't look disheveled.
"alright, that should be good enough."
I sigh and make my way downstairs where I run into Octavius who asks.
"sup Darius, you want to do something today since you're not fighting?"
I respond.
"maybe later, I need to do something important."
he asks while pointing at the letter.
"does it have to do with the letter your holding."
I sigh and come up with a logical conclusion since major names that get engaged with demons, the news spread like wildfire, and decide to tell Octavius since eventually it will become known.
"I just found out that I'm engaged to Halvine."
he laughs, but I hand over the letter.
"well read it and weep."
still smiling and chuckling, he begins reading to himself and suddenly gets serious after he finished reading it.
"are you serious?"
I nod.
"yeah, I was about to pay the Laconia Mansion a visit to have a little chat with Halvine."
he gets a mischievous smile.
"oh, I need to witness this."
I shake my head.
"no, this is private affair."
he insists.
"I'll provide backup, I don't need to be around when you talk to her."
I ask.
"why do you want to be there?"
he answers.
"I could I not witness this, a commoner being engaged with someone from one of the most famous family household, it just doesn't happen."
he chuckles.
"and knowing the little between you two, this will be absolutely hilarious."
I respond not putting much a fight.
"alright, but you won't say a single word and you will wait where they tell you to wait if they ask you to."
he nods.
"I get it, come on let's stop wasting time."
we leave the mansion and I follow Octavius' lead since it looks like he knows where Laconia home is located at, we stop in front of a gigantic mansion, that is three times the size of the Lionheart mansion, Octavius sighs.
"let's hope she is in this mansion."
he looks behind us, where there is another mansion with the Laconia banner.
"if not, we'll just have to go there and ask."
we walk up to the double door entrance and I knock on it a couple times, and Leonard answers the door cautiously upon seeing that is was me.
"what are you doing here Darius?"
I ask calmly amd polite, to prevent another incident from happening.
"is Halvine around, I need to talk to her about something private."
he looks at Octavius and asks.
"what is he doing here?"
I respond.
"just accompanying me, don't mind him."
he replies.
"alright, I'll take you to her room, but he has to wait in the living room, where we can keep an eye on him."
I reply.
"that's fine, we don't plan on starting anything."
as Octavius gets escorted by another Laconia family member, I follow Leonard, who whispers to me.
"did you come here to rub it in?"
I shake my head.
"on the contrary, I didn't want to use that but you guys forced my hand, when you all decided to outnumber me in the fight."
I sigh and continue.
"but don't worry your little head, as far as he knows, I talked myself out of fighting Halvine."
he responds.
"why? you should have taken that opportunity to boost yourself in the eyes of the strongest in the academy."
I reply.
"at this moment in time, I want to keep what I can do under wraps."
he smirks.
"ah you want to surprise everyone at the fighting tournament?"
I nod.
"yeah."
he then asks.
"so did you come here to switch to us?"
I answer.
"no, my visit is for a life changing conversation."
he grins knowing exactly what I'm talking about.
"ah you are here, about your engagement to Halvine?"
I think to myself.
"of course he knows about the engagement, don't act surprised."
I reply.
"yeah, apparently she has the engagement rings."
he replies.
"she had them before we came to the academy."
I think to myself.
"That damned Elaine, she had plans for me to marry Halvine for a while then, and was confident enough that my mother would agree to it."
we stop in front of a door and he said with a sly smile.
"see you later future, brother-in-law."
I knock on the door a couple times, and Halvines muffled shouts comes through.
"who is it."
I respond.
"it's me Darius."
she shouts.
"ah hold on, give me a couple of minutes! my room is a bit messy!"
I reply.
"I don't care!"
she opens the door slightly, and peeks through the small opening.
"why are you here?"
I sigh.
"cuz I need to talk to you about the engagement."
she silently stares at me with her hazel-green eyes for a few moments and then said softly.
"okay, come in."
I enter and see that her room is a complete mess, she sits down at the side of her bed, while I grab the chair that is by her desk and sit down in front of her.
"why didn't you tell me about it?"
she replies.
"after you made it clear that you hated me, I decided that I wanted to personally tell you after you stopped hating me."
I sigh.
"well we are locked into this thing together now."
I pause and ask.
"how do you feel about this?"
she smiles.
"at first when my mom told me about that a new marriage partner would replace my old one, I was happy."
I ask.
"why is that?"
she looks at me with her hazel-green eyes.
"our family practices marriages within the family to prevent the elf blood that runs through us from disappearing."
she pauses for a few moments and continues.
"so when mom told me I was marrying and outsider instead of my cousin who's guts I hate, I was excited."
I think to myself.
"so the Laconia family practices incest, just like some of the prominent demon families."
I grin mischievously.
"so you expected some prince charming? but instead you got a dark skinned brute?"
she giggles.
"yup, instead I got an ill mannered, loud mouth, and unpersonable commoner."
she stops and smiles.
"but you are not as bad as I first thought you were."
I then ask.
"so how long will it take the public to know that we are engaged?"
she answers.
"I'll give it less then a month, before the whole academy is aware about it."
I ask.
"what makes you say that?"
she answers.
"because now that you are aware of our engagement, we will be spending time together so that we can get along better."
she reaches into her pocket and gives me a golden ring.
"make sure you put this on and that my family can see you wear it, or my ex fiance who loves me will inform my uncle and aunt who are against our marriage and will use this to undermine her authority as the head of the Laconia household."
I think to myself and sigh.
"since Elaine has put her neck out for me by paying for my tuition, I'll do what I must to secure her financial support, even if it means marrying Halvine."
as I'm about to leave her room, she said.
"oh and make some time tomorrow, I want us to hang out, so that we can better know each other."
I groan.
"ugh."
I leave the Laconia Mansion with Octavius, feeling like I played right into Halvine's hands.